Coaching associations agree common standards

The UK’s professional coaching bodies have hailed a new agreement between them as a major breakthrough for the coaching industry.

The ‘statement of shared professional values’ was signed by the Association for Coaching, the Association for Professional Executive Coaching and Supervision, the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, and the International Coach Federation in the UK (ICF).

Neil Scotton, president of the UK ICF, said: “This agreement clearly shows how the main professional coaching bodies are working together to build coaching standards and the coaching profession in the UK.”

A study of the emerging profession last year by consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated there were at least 30,000 coaches worldwide. The study said the revenue generated by coaching globally was £754m.

Almost 90% of respondents had coached for less than 10 years – a strong indication of how young the profession is.